In this article we will talk about famous people who have autism. But, before we tell you who these celebrities are, we will tell you something more about autism and its characteristics.
How to know that you have autism? What are the signs of this disorder? You will get the answers to these and similar questions if you continue reading this article. I
f you also have autism or if someone in your surrounding has this disorder, then this article will be interesting for you.
What Is Autism?
Autism is a disorder that was first recognized by Hans Asperger in 1944, so it is also called Asperger’s disease. Autism or autism spectrum disorder is defined as neuro-developmental disorder that is characterized by difficulties in communication skills and social interaction.
Also, autism includes difficulties in social imagination and repetitive behaviors. Actually, autism impacts normal development of the brain and causes many difficulties in communication with other people.
In some cases autism may also include aggressive behavior or even self-injurious behavior. Other symptoms of autism are social isolation, depression, eating disorders, anxiety and withdrawal. Autism can also be defined as a brain development disorder that is characterized by impaired communication skills and social interaction.
As we have already said, one of the major difficulties of people with autism is a social interaction. These people have difficulties in understanding the reactions of people. Also, when they talk with someone, they usually stand too close to him, which may be very uncomfortable for the other person. People with autism usually don’t understand the importance of eye contact and they are often misunderstood.
Autism may be caused by genetic or environmental factors. It is known that most parents are able to notice the first signs of autism when their child is two years old. Children that are diagnosed with autism usually have difficulties in attending the class and communicating with other children.
There is also a term “high-functioning autism” and now we will explain you what does it mean. Studies have shown that people with high-functioning autism usually have an average or even above-average IQ. High-functioning autism also includes a high level of creativity.
Now we will see some of the most famous people with autism spectrum disorder. These people have overcome all the challenges and difficulties of this disorder and they are inspiration to many other people. Also, we will mention some famous people from history who were autistic.
Who Are Famous People With Autism?
- Albert Einstein. Most people don’t know that Einstein, the most popular physicist in 20th century, was also an autistic person. Actually, he had difficulties with social interactions and also difficulties in learning at school. Einstein was very intelligent but it was hard for him to find the job.
Later when he got married and when he had children, he could not stand that the children touch him and it is one of the most common traits of an autistic person. He was always different from other people and he had some weird ideas, but these ideas made him famous.
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart had also many characteristics of an autistic person. He had repeated facial expressions and also unintentional motions of his feet and his hands. It is also known that he couldn’t stand loud sounds because they used to make him feel sick.
Sometimes he had impolite mood changes during a conversation. It is known that in certain situations when he got bored, he jumped over the tables and meowed like a cat. All these traits indicate that Mozart was an autistic.
- Stanley Kubrick. Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, producer, photographer and screenwriter. He is one of the most famous names in American cinematic history. His films are well known for their realism and dark humor and these films are usually adaptations of short stories or novels. Kubrick directed many films and documentaries and many of his films were nominated for Golden Globes or Academy Awards.
You may have heard of Stanley Kubrick and his films, but did you know that he had autism? Actually, autism was diagnosed to him when he was a teenager. He had poor social skills and obsessive interests. Although he lived with this disorder for the rest of his life, he was very successful at his work.
- Courtney Love. Courtney Love is a famous American musician and artist. She was diagnosed with autism when she was 9. But it was a mild form of autism because it is hard to say which of her behaviors are related to autism.
She had problems with her family and she was kicked out from school many times. Courtney Love had also problems with drug, but we cannot say that it is a sign of autism. However, Courtney Love had undeniable talent and intelligence.
- Susan Boyle. Susan Boyle is a Scottish singer who was unknown until she performed on Britain’s Got Talent in 2009. When the audience saw Susan Boyle on the stage, they did not expect her to have such a beautiful voice because Susan’s appearance has been unfashionable and quite odd. Susan released her first album in November 2009 and it gained a big popularity.
However, Susan Boyle has been diagnosed with autism in 2012 and she made her diagnosis public in December 2013. Before that it was believed that Susan Boyle had a brain damage. When she was diagnosed with autism, she felt relief because she had a more specific diagnosis of her condition.
- James Durbin. James Durbin became popular thanks to his performance in American Idol. He is a famous American singer and guitarist from California. When he was 10 he was diagnosed both with autism and Tourette’s syndrome. In his childhood Durbin had a lot of traits that are related to autism, so he was usually bullied.
It is interesting that his song Screaming is inspired by the experiences from his childhood. In this song he says that he used to come back from school and to scream loudly into a pillow. This way he released his frustrations from school.
Today he says that he finds himself most comfortable on the stage and he is hyper-focused, which is very important for music.
- Daryl Hannah. You may have heard of Daryl Hannah. She is a famous American film actress and she is well known as the actress from Splash, Kill Bill. Daryl was diagnosed with autism and she recognized many signs of this disorder. For example, she was very shy while she was growing up.
Even though she became a famous actress, she has never wanted to be the center of attention and she always refused to give interviews. Also, she avoided attending her own movie premieres. She admitted that she was afraid and she didn’t have enough self-confidence to walk down the red carpet and to attend her own premieres. Daryl Hannah said that autism has almost ruined her Hollywood career.
She has also been an environmental campaigner and she has been arrested several times. An interesting fact is that today Daryl Hannah lives in a one-room house and she uses well water and solar energy. Quite weird, isn’t it?
- Tim Burton. Tim Burton is also one of the celebrities who is an autistic. His wife, Helena Carter, believes that Tim has autism. Actually, she has recognized many autism symptoms in her husband. Burton has always been very dedicated to his work and while he is working he doesn’t hear anything around him.
But, he has a great sense of humor and he is a great father. It is known that once Tim Burton and his wife were watching a documentary about autism and Burton said that he felt just like that when he was a child.
- Dan Aykroyd. Dan Aykroyd is a famous actor and Academy Award nominated writer who admitted to his audience that he was diagnosed with autism. Actually, he went to see a specialist in 2004 and then he was told that he had Asperger’s disease. He knew that it was truth because he had many autistic traits, especially in his early childhood.
When he was a child he was expelled from school two times and he had also many tics. Aykroyd has also shown signs of obsessive compulsive disorder. When he was young he was obsessed with ghosts and policemen, which have inspired him to write Ghostbusters.
- Satoshi Tajiri. Do you know who is Satoshi Tajiri? He is a Japanese video game designer and he is best known as the creator of the game Pokemon. As a child Tajiri was obsessed with bugs and later his fascination turned into the worldwide phenomenon of Pokemon.
- Matt Savage. Matthew Savage, also known as Matt Savage, is an American savant musician. He was diagnosed with autism in his early childhood when he was about 3 years old. He learned to read when he was only 18 months and he also walked early.
When he was a child, Matt didn’t like any music or noise. But, when Matt was 6 years old, he started to study classical piano and later he focused himself to jazz music. Due to his extraordinary talent and his high intelligence, Matt received many awards.
- Temple Grandin. Temple Grandin is an autism advocate who has written several books about autism. She was diagnosed with autism when she was three and a half years old. In her childhood she used to scream and to peep in order to get rid of her frustrations. But later during her school years she found a mentor who understood her and recognized her abilities and her interests. Thanks to this mentor, Temple Grandin has made a successful career.
Today she talks directly about her disorder and she became one of the most popular speakers on the subject of autism. She talks about her fascinating life and about all difficulties that she had in her childhood. All her successes and challenges have been brought to the screen, so today she is one of the most famous adults with autism in the world.
You have seen the list of famous people with autism spectrum disorder. There are also many other celebrities who are autistic or who are suspected to be autistic.
Some of them talk about autism and share their experiences with other people, while others don’t like to talk about that subject. It is important to learn how to live with this disorder. You learn how to behave, so you get less and less autistic every day. Temple Grandin said that it is important to be always in a play and to believe that sometimes it is good to be different.
Summary
As you have seen in this article, autism is a disorder that causes difficulties in communication with other people. For people with autism it is very hard to relate to the social world. These people have problems with communication skills, they may be depressive, shy or anxious, but also aggressive in certain situations.
It is possible to be diagnosed with autism in early childhood, but some people are diagnosed with this disorder when they are already adults.
We hope this article has been interesting and useful for you. Now when you know what autism is and how you can recognize the signs of this disorder, it will be much easier for you to tell if someone in your surrounding has autism.